RE: science fairs

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Vanderputten, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <gvp-at-pvaintl-dot-com>


All this discussion about coiling and science fairs is very amusing to me.
The reason I am into coiling, or shall I say, back into coiling, is that the
community theatre of which I am the technical director was considering
putting up Frankenstein, but felt that they couldn't construct a meaningful
set. I took the challenge and built a gorgeous set out of caste-off parts
from a power plant, several Jacobs ladders, and of course, a Tesla coil. It
had rave reviews - best set ever. The coil took several months to build with
much help from the List. It was a 900w 15" and knocked out 12" strikes to a
very well engineered RF ground.

But the reason I knew about this at all is that I had built several coils in
the early 1960's and was an avid Science Fair buff. In 8th grade I submitted
a Jacobs ladder and won third prize. This mystified me, even then, as I knew
that it was a trivial project compared to others at that fair. Any geek
could do it out of a few parts 'retrieved' from the local junk yard. But the
judges chose me for the flash. A year later and I had built three coils: a
3" x 12" 200w bi-polar, then a 4" by 36" 360w, and finally a 3" x 84"  500w,
all with simple spark gaps, glass and aluminum caps, and zero protection.
All parts were free from local dumps and junk yards. Mind you, there were no
serious sources of info on coils then; I was the only resource. My designs
were lacking in every aspect, but my resourcefulness. But I knew the coil
would just kill'em at the fair, and it did! Took first! The judges were just
suckers for a good show. And, as one judge said to me, 'It looks like it was
built by a 15 year old, and not his dad; and that is a compliment."  I took
the note.  My friend next to me had a $100 12" tube coil from a Popular
Electronics kit, and his dad did help. He refused to show up for the
judging; which I felt bad - he did do most of the work, but he was rich; he
still got a second!

15 years later I am teaching science in one of New York City's worst heck
hole middle schools. I am the lab instructor, amongst other things. The
school wants to enter some projects in the up coming City-wide Science fair.
Can I help? I say yes, but there are no real geeks. How about a Tesla coil?
Well, I found two willing 8th graders who a least had a strong interest in
the sciences. I had to help them with everything. Even the research. It was
a 200w 2"x14" job withy glass and foil again (I still had not grown.) They
did their best. On the day of the fair I was asked to be an observer (not a
judge). The judges just freaked out - two ghetto kids made a Tesla coil -
3rd prize in the City! The school was thrilled! I just couldn't believe it.
True, the boys deserved recognition, but there were serious projects at that
show that were far more impressive in the ways that count: very well done
conceived, the contestant knew his subject, and in all cases their projects
were either useful demonstrations or failed hypothesis (can you measure the
radiation in milk?)  But mostly, the projects I liked looked as if they were
done by the kid for not a lot of money; they were resourceful. Some didn't
get anything. The girl who had reconstructed a chicken skeleton from what
was probably a decent soup, got first; her father was a noted Orthopedist. I
just didn't get it.

I was asked to be a judge the following year, but declined. I told them that
they were judging the wrong things. 

If one were to submit a coil it should be about some new concept in NST
protection, or tuning, or measuring, or something that most of us haven't
done.

Gary 

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com] 
Sent:	Tuesday, October 02, 2001 10:23 AM
To:	tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:	Re: science fears

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<Hollmike-at-aol-dot-com>

 I have judged a several junior high and grade school level science fairs.
I
will probably continue with the annual grade school fair assuming they ask
me
again this year.  I find it quite amusing.  The kids in this grade school
fair
are required to submit an entry and the rules are not terribly overbearing. 
Unfortunately, some of the kids have no interest in it and it shows in their
work.  Others do very well.  The whole point of it is to try to get kids
interested in science, which I applaud.   
  The downside is that the closest project I have seen to a Tesla coil at
this
level is one kid's project that showed the deflection of a compass needle in
close proximity of a current carrying wire. 
Still waiting, 
Mike